The Confession: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Scotland Yard’s best detective, Inspector Ian Rutledge, must solve a dangerous case that reaches far into the past in this superb mystery in the acclaimed series.

Declaring he needs to clear his conscience, a dying man walks into Scotland Yard and confesses that he killed his cousin five years earlier during the Great War. When Inspector Ian Rutledge presses for details, the man evades his questions, revealing only that he hails from a village east of London. With little information and no body to open an official inquiry, Rutledge begins to look into the case on his own.

Less than two weeks later, the alleged killer’s body is found floating in the Thames, a bullet in the back of his head. Searching for answers, Rutledge discovers that the dead man was not who he claimed to be. What was his real name - and who put a bullet in his head? Were the “confession” and his own death related? Or was there something else in the victim’s past that led to his murder?

The inspector’s only clue is a gold locket, found around the dead man’s neck, that leads back to Essex and an insular village whose occupants will do anything to protect themselves from notoriety. For notoriety brings the curious, and with the curious come change and an unwelcome spotlight on a centuries-old act of evil that even now can damn them all.

©2012 Charles Todd (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Enjoyable time in old England

If you could sum up The Confession: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery in three words, what would they be?

Old England mystery

What did you like best about this story?

The blend of mystery and old England

What does Simon Prebble bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Character voice

Any additional comments?

A nicely plotted, enjoyable read. Mystery plotted in old England. I will try some of the other books after reading this one.

Nothing is what it seems

I love the Ian Rutledge series. I’ve read mysteries for 50+ years, starting with Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden then Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney and so on. I always thought I was pretty good at figuring out ‘who done it.’ This series keeps me guessing at all turns. The Confession did not disappoint. On the the next book.

foiled again

I often have a hunch about who the killer is. right again, but the motive is always curious.

another good story in the series

Overall it was a interesting story focusing on complex human relations a little bit of history and the giant Shadow of World war I on everyone's lives the performance was good it's a difficult thing to do.

Too intellectual

Ian rutledge needs a personal life. He's sounding more like a machine in this story. Too cut off from his feelings to function sanely. This man is going to crack. This story was too intellectual.

Morrison!

I was as confused as the inspector. Really enjoyed this almost as much as the previous one.

Simon Prebble's narration adds ...

....to an engaging mystery story.
This is not the usual sort of Police Procedural presenting all the clues for us to follow the solving of a crime, nor is Rutledge a regular guy. He has a secret.
As it is set post WW1, there is the ambience of a society going through it's own changes after The Great War. Yet this is not laboured. A fishing villiage has it's own secrets it wants to keep. What those secrets are, and why a man already near death is murdered, are the questions Ian Rutledge begins to ask.
As a "Who Done It?', it does have a Butler/Driver, a femme fatal and a Major.

Pretty Dang Good

Would you consider the audio edition of The Confession to be better than the print version?

I don't think the other drivers on Florida's Turnpike would appreciate me reading the print version, just to compare the two.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Confession?

There's no one defining moment - it's the inter-weaving of the characters, the depth of their personalities and the story that really make this series. This is just another fine example of the genre.

What about Simon Prebble’s performance did you like?

What's not to like? You always know which character is speaking, he's understandable and exceptionally easy to listen to. In fact, after listening to his narration for the duration of one of my longer trips, I found myself thinking with his accent. It was a little disturbing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The Confession - OR IS IT?

Any additional comments?

Nah.

Complicated

This one was a little hard for me to follow, probably because I listen in bed and would fall asleep and have to back up my chapters. I kept guessing but didn’t see the villain till near the end. Now, on to the next adventure with Ian and Hamish.

best story and the narrator is so skilled

loved it from beginning to end.characters well developed. the narrator is skilled at giving each character voice and personality in voice inflections and accents.